


A Slice of Home

by shamebucket



Category: Homeward Bound (Movies)
Genre: Gen, Homesickness, Huddling For Warmth, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27855554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shamebucket/pseuds/shamebucket
Summary: On their first night that they are all reunited, our intrepid heroes keep a lost child warm and safe. Chance contemplates what it means to be home.
Relationships: Chance & Sassy & Shadow (Homeward Bound)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 14
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	A Slice of Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dizmo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dizmo/gifts).



There's nothing like the great outdoors. Well, at least when it's green and the ground is soft on Chance's feet. He never liked being on the streets all that much, but traveling through the woods isn't half-bad despite all of its pitfalls. Sure, he doesn't get to curl up on a warm dog bed at night, and there isn't kibble that's freely given to him, but it's better than being in the pound. He can get to stretch his legs and run free and easy. Even the waterfall doesn't look as scary as it used to now that he's been resting by it for a few hours. 

At the same time, it feels almost wrong to see a human in a setting like this. Animals rule supreme here, but a primal part of Chance's mind - the part that every dog has, the part that places loyalty towards humans - has become active again. For now he's been watching Shadow calm down the crying human by just being his gentle, wise self, but he's been wondering what it might feel like to be hugged by those two tiny arms. 

Would it feel anything like being hugged by Jamie? Chance wags his tail at the memory. It can be scary out here, but there's lots of fun stuff for a kid to enjoy, too. Maybe someday his parents will let them go on an adventure together. 

"Kinda funny how we found a girl out here in the sticks, huh?" Chance says idly. He sits by the riverside, his tail thumping at the dirt. "I almost thought I'd never see a human again." 

Sassy sighs dramatically. "It's not funny at all, Chance. Look at the poor dear." She gently pads over to where the small girl is dozing, taking great lengths to ensure that her delicate paws don't get pebbles in them. "Her fur is a huge mess. Absolutely dreadful." With that, she starts to groom the young child's hair, doing the best she can to remove any dirt and untangle some knots. There's only so much a cat can do, but she's doing the best that she possibly can. At first, Chance thought it was only Shadow that knew how to handle humans, but Chance feels pretty out of his depth watching Sassy tend to the little girl. 

"Well, yeah, it's not funny." Chance whines and paws at the needles stuck in his face. They're starting to ache. He's really regretting trying to play with that porcupine - maybe he should have learned his lesson with the wedding cake. Indulging too much usually ends up being no good. "It's just an interesting coincidence, I guess." 

There are no blankets to be found out here in the middle of nowhere, so Shadow keeps the human warm by lying down close to her. She rests her head against some mossed-over wood, and Shadow allows her to hug him. "You shouldn't give up hope so easily, pup," Shadow scolds him gently. "She's a human and she needs us right now, but our people need us more. After we make sure that she's safe, we're going to go back home. No matter what." 

Chance feels his face fall. "Home" still feels like a nebulous, half-formed idea to him, but he deeply wishes that he was home in this moment. 

The moon above them shines through the trees. The waterfall trickles behind them, never-ending. 

Chance remembers the first time he had a bath with his new family. He was put in a kiddie pool outside, and Jamie's mom had hosed him down. Her hands were gentle, but the water was so cold! He had tried to shake off multiple times, but Jamie's mom wouldn't stop rubbing soap into his fur. What a mess that was! It was pretty goofy of her to keep scrubbing at him when he was so wriggly. Some humans don't know when to quit. "It's okay, Chance," Jamie had told him, letting Chance chomp at the stream of water as his mom washed Chance thoroughly. "You're gonna feel so much better when you're clean! Then we can play fetch as much as you want." Jamie's small hands roughly scratched behind Chance's ears, but Chance didn't mind. Chance was a little on the rough side himself. Maybe he and Jamie are similar in that way. 

"I miss Frisbees," Chance says, lying down and resting his head on his paws. 

Sassy regards Chance for a moment, and then slowly ambles towards him. "I miss my human too," she says. "I imagine Hope is absolutely devastated without me." She gently rubs her face along the unwounded side of his snout. It's a weird cat thing, and Chase doesn't always get the weird cat things she does, but it's kinda sweet coming from Sassy. He knows it means that she's trying to comfort him. To be honest, he really missed her when she was gone. He never wants to be separated from her again. 

"Psht, yeah. I bet she's dying to pawn off more shrimp on you," Chance teases.

Sassy puffs up. "Hey! I am a lady and I am watching my figure. You don't talk to a dignified woman about her weight or what she eats. Besides, fish isn't the most fattening of foods, cake-muncher." 

"Settle down, you two." Chance perks his ears up and turns his head towards Shadow. Shadow nuzzles against the girl's face before slipping out of her arms and taking a few paces towards his two friends. "It'll just be a few more days until we see our humans again. I know it in my soul." 

Shadow has always seemed dignified and cool to Chance, and he seems so... certain in a way that Chance isn't. Chance wants to believe, but he wishes he knew why Shadow seems this composed. "How can you be so sure? We've been walking for a really long time. Maybe they've forgotten about us..." 

Shadow shakes his head. "They won't forget. They are our people. And even if they somehow did, it's our duty to be by their side. We cannot truly call ourselves dogs if we ignore our largest, most important calling." 

Chance whines and sits up. "I know. You're right." He doesn't say what he's thinking - he wants to believe in Jamie and his family, but they left them alone for so long. Will they even be happy to see Chance again? 

"Come, pup." Chance wags his tail involuntarily at the words, even though they're coming from another dog. "It's your turn to keep the human warm. I wager it may help you, too." 

"Oh. Uh, okay." Chance bolts over to the small human and rests next to her. She's around the same size as Jamie. 

He wonders how she got out here, so far away from her own family. They must miss her. Maybe she has a dog that misses her just as much as Chance misses Jamie. 

"It'll be okay," he finds himself telling her, licking her cheek with as much care as he is able. Even if he's not as dainty as Sassy or as dignified as Shadow, he thinks that this gesture has enough heart at least. "Don't worry. We'll keep you safe until your family finds you again." She sighs in her sleep, and her tiny arms wrap around his neck. Chance nuzzles against her and relaxes. It's nice being held by a human again, much more comforting than he had hoped. He finds himself starting to drift off to sleep. 

Before he sinks into a deep and peaceful slumber, he senses a small body curl up between his legs, and a larger one rest against his back. Warmth spreads through his short fur all the way down to his bones. 

He dearly misses Jamie, and hopes that he'll be able to see his boy soon, but being with Sassy and Shadow feels a whole lot like being home without a home.


End file.
